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News24 reports that another fire has broken out at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria – the second in just two weeks.
The blaze apparently started in a linen closet in a medical ward at 6:15pm on Sunday. It is believed that the fire could have been caused by cigarettes. Gauteng health department spokesperson Kwara Kekana indicated: “While the definite cause of the fire is unknown, the facility has confirmed that a number of fresh cigarette butts were found close to the area where the fire started. Patients were temporarily evacuated as a safety precaution. There were no casualties. The fire was quickly extinguished by staff in the facility and by 8:15pm, patients were returned to the ward.” City Press has been reliably informed that the hospital’s emergency unit was not operational following the fire, but Kekana insisted that it was business as usual. Hospital fires appear to be happening there more frequently. A fire broke out at the hospital on 30 May. The blaze started in a Wendy house used as a temporary storage unit for Covid-19 medical waste and also affected a special temporary isolation unit and a tent used for triage. Kekana said that the cause of that fire has not been determined.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Karabo Ledwaba at City Press
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